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This programme is based in the Department of Government and offers the following benefits:
* The opportunity to study in a large, internationally renowned department in the only UK institution devoted solely to the social sciences.
* A staff with area specialists of a global scope.
* A good preparation for further research work or for a career in media, political consultancy, international organisations, public administration or the private sector.
Comparative politics is the comparative study of political systems. In the MSc Comparative Politics we look for sophisticated analytical answers to such basic political questions as: 'why are some countries democratic while others are not?' 'why are some countries torn by ethnic conflict?' 'do constitutions matter?' 'what is the impact of global capitalism on state sovereignty?'
Addressing these and similar questions, the programme offers courses in the fields of democratisation, nationalism and ethnicity, comparative political economy as well as a wide range of country and area specific options. Our programme is methodologically eclectic yet rigorous, with an emphasis on historical approaches. Graduates from our MSc have gone on to successful careers in politics, media, NGOs, foreign service, finance and academia.
The Department of Government has recently introduced streams within some of its degree programmes. Students will benefit because they will gain from the opportunity to study a specialisation within a broader subject area.
The MSc Comparative Politics is divided into streams, giving students the opportunity to study a specialisation within a broader subject area. Students must take courses to the value of four full units as shown.
All students are required to write a 10,000-word dissertation. Note that some of the courses must be taken together. Part-time students may take up to four courses in their first year. All students must apply for one of the following streams:
* Conflict Studies
* Democracy
* Latin America
* Nationalism and Ethnicity
* Politics and Markets
and will take a minimum of one full unit from within the chosen stream. (* half unit)
Conflict Studies
Compulsory courses
* Introduction to Comparative Politics*
* Dissertation
* Nationalist Conflict, Political Violence and Terrorism*
Options
Choose two full units from the following:
* The Politics of Civil Wars*
* Globalisation, Conflict and Post-Totalitarianism*
* Democratisation and its Discontents in Southeast Asia*
* Democratisation, Conflict and State-Building*
* War, Peace and the Politics of National Self-Determination*
* Nationalism
* Local Power in an Era of Democratisation and Decentralisation*
* Conflict and Institutional Design in Divided Societies*
* Conflict and Peace Studies
* Ethnic and Religious Violence in Post-Colonial Society*
Courses up to the value of one full unit from the approved options list
Democracy
Compulsory courses
* Introduction to Comparative Politics*
* Dissertation
* Comparative Democratisation*
Options
Choose at least one half unit from the following:
* Democracy and Development in Latin America*
* Democracy in East and South Asia*
* Democratisation and its Discontents in Southeast Asia*
* Globaliation and Democracy*
Plus: Courses to the value of one and a half units from the approved options list
Latin America
Compulsory courses
* Introduction to Comparative Politics*
* Dissertation
* The State and Political Institutions in Latin America*
* Democracy and Development in Latin America*
Options
Courses to the value of one and a half units from the approved options list
Nationalism and Ethnicity
Compulsory courses
* Introduction to Comparative Politics*
* Dissertation
* Nationalism
Options
Choose either one full unit or two half units from:
* Social Theory and Political Commitment: the case of Max Weber and Nationalism*
* Warfare and National Identity*
* Democratisation and its Discontents in Southeast Asia*
* Ethnic Diversity and International Society*
* Identity, Community and the 'Problems of Minorities'
* The Napoleonic Empire: The Making of Modern Europe?
* European Integration in the Twentieth Century
* Ethnic and Religious Violence in Post-Colonial Society*
One half unit from the approved options list NB Where appropriate, with the agreement of the MSc programme director and the course tutor, a student may take courses to the value of one full unit from elsewhere in the School in place of optional units listed under Comparative Politics.
Politics and Markets
Compulsory courses
* Introduction to Comparative Politics*
* Dissertation
* States and Markets*
* Comparative Politics of Redistribution in Advanced Democracies* or Capitalism and Democracy*
Options
Choose courses to the value of one and a half units from the approved options list
Comparative Politics (all streams) - approved options list
* Social Theory and Political Commitment: the Case of Max Weber and Capitalism
* Max Weber and Nationalism*
* Warfare and National Identity*
* Legislative Politics: US*
* Legislative Politics: European Parliament*
* National and Ethnic Conflict Regulation*
* War, Peace and the Politics of National Self-Determination*
* Warfare and National Identity*
* Conflict and Institutional Design in Divided Societies*
* Islamic Republic of Iran: Society, Politics, the Greater Middle East*
* Public Policy Responses to International Migration*
* Popular Politics in the Middle East*
* Russian Federation: Politics, Transformation and Governance*
* Partisanship in Europe*
* National and Ethnic Conflict Regulation*
* China in Developmental Perspective*
* The Politics of Modern Sub-Saharan Africa*
* Anthropology of Politics*
* The Anthropology of Development*
* Government and Politics in Eastern Europe*
* The Second Europe*
* Politics of Social Policy: Welfare and Work in Comparative Perspective*
* Foreign Policy Analysis III
* Any option listed above that has not already been taken
A half-unit course from the Government Department or another department (with the consent of the convener of MSc Comparative Politics and the teacher of the course). Students registered for a stream will have automatic right of entry to courses listed as compulsory. Other students will have access subject to availability. However, some options may be closed to a student, if, in the opinion of the course convener, they lack the appropriate methodological background.
Want to improve your English level for admission?
Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.
- ✔️ Flexible study schedule
- ✔️ Experienced teachers
- ✔️ Certificate upon completion
📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.
Fee reductions and rewards
LSE undergraduates starting taught postgraduate study at the School are eligible for a fee reduction in the region of ten per cent of the fee. These reductions are available for UK, EU and non-EU students. The School offers a range of rewards for early payment of fees for all self-financed students.
Scholarships for study at LSE
LSE makes available over £12 million annually in financial support for its students via a range of scholarships, bursaries and award schemes, details of which can be found on these pages. LSE's world class programmes attract a consistently high calibre of applicants, many of whom seek financial support from the School, so there is always much competition for our awards. Securing the necessary funds to attend LSE can be a difficult and time consuming process so you should start to think about it as early as possible. Please be aware that the School will be unable to offer you any financial assistance if you knowingly register under funded. The relevant link on the left will take you to the awards available for your chosen level of study.
The School would like to thank the many donors who have contributed to the New Futures Fund, which provides funds for a number of discretionary scholarships.
Diploma, LLM, MA, MSc and MSc (Research) programmes
There are a range of awards available for study at this level. Approximately 19% of taught masters offer holders are successful in obtaining some form of financial support from the School. The value of support ranges in value from 10% of the tuition fee to a full fees and maintenance award.
Graduate Support Scheme
LSE's major financial support scheme for study at taught masters level is the Graduate Support Scheme (GSS). This scheme is open to all applicants, with the exception of those undertaking specific modular or executive programmes such as the MSc in Finance (Part time) or the MSc in Health Economics, Policy and Management. Around £2 million is available annually in the form of awards from the Graduate Support Scheme. The Scheme is designed to help students who do not have sufficient funds to meet all their costs of study. GSS awards range in value from £3,000 to a maximum of £10,000, and have an average value of £6,000. Application to the Graduate Support Scheme is via the LSE Graduate Financial Support Application form. This form will be made available to you once you have submitted an application for admission to the School. The form will then be available until 27 April 2011.
Awards
If you complete the LSE Graduate Financial Support Application form, and are made an offer of admission by 27 April 2011, you will also be automatically considered for any other awards being offered by LSE, for which you are eligible, with the exception of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding where there are separate, department led processes in place. AHRC and ESRC funding is relevant to Home UK and Home EU applicants only, and there are also subject restrictions in place. We offer a range of awards based on different criteria such as a specific programme of study, nationality, or country of permanent domicile. In addition, a number of external organisations offer funding to support postgraduate study. We recommend that applicants follow up as many avenues as possible to find funding. Please be aware that if you accept funding from an external source, it is your responsibility to check the terms of the award. Some awards are accompanied by specific terms and conditions which you should be sure you able to meet before accepting the award. Information about other Awards offered by LSE or external organisations. Please take some time to look at all the other awards available to support your study at LSE. The details of these awards are updated each October, but new LSE awards may become available during the course of the admissions cycle. We will only write to successful applicants for these awards. Selection for these awards will take place between May and July 2011 and all successful applicants will be notified by 31 July 2011.
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